


The Patient

by Denstort



Category: Muse (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Mention of abuse, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 09:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6798379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denstort/pseuds/Denstort
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Friday nights in Accident and Emergency was always full of drunks......but not tonight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Patient

Dom let out a sigh as he picked up another form from the ‘to be seen by a doctor’ box. Probably just another ‘falling down drunk’ injury he thought; it was Friday night after all. 

The name on the form said Mister Bellamy and that he was already in one of the cubicles, which meant that the triage nurse must have thought his problem warranted seeing a doctor ASAP. He quickly read what the nurse had written, the patient was complaining of pain when breathing in, also there were some facial injuries.

He pulled the curtain back and saw the most stunning man he’d ever seen...cheekbones that models would pay thousands to have, features that were not what many would consider ‘aesthetically’ pleasing, but to Dom he was beautiful. Then he saw the bruising on one side of the patient’s face and the split lip.

“Hello, Mister Bellamy, my name is Doctor Howard.”

The patient looked up and his eyes were a shade of blue he’d never seen before....come on Dom, be a professional.

“So, you’re here because you’re feeling pain when you breath in?”

The patient nodded.

“And how long have you had this pain?”

“A couple of days.”

“Have you suffered from a cold or any flu-like symptoms?”

Again a shake of the head.

“Do you have any conditions such as Asthma?”

Again there was a negative.

“I didn’t have any pain, until I tripped and fell against the kitchen table.”

“Is that where the bruises and the split lip came from?”

“No, I fell off my bike. Richard says I’m an accident magnet.”

“Okay, let's listen to your chest.”

The patient seemed hesitant to undo his shirt, but eventually did so and let if fall to the bed. Dom tried not to let out a gasp at the mass of bruises...some fresh and others in various stages of healing.

“Are those from your cycling accident?”

“Yeah, that and hitting the table.”

Alarm bells were beginning to ring in Dom’s head, but he couldn’t just ask that question. He listened to the patients chest, but his chest was clear. He actually wished it wasn’t, so he could somehow confirm or allay his fears.

“Well, your chest is clear, and you blood pressure is fine and your oxygen levels are good. The pain is probably from the bruising. I suggest regular doses of ibuprofen and paracetamol, not together, but alternate them and no strenuous exercise until those bruises clear up.”

He thought he saw disappointment in those eyes, but he still couldn’t ask him that question, you had to be very careful in such litigious times. He started writing on the form, when the patient said.

Doctor?”

He looked up again.

”Yes?”

“Sorry, it’s not important.”

The patient looked away and busied himself with putting his shirt back on, and Dom heard him hiss; it was obviously painful. Then he patient spoke again.

“He gets angry sometimes.”

Dom stopped writing and moved back and placed a hand on the patients shoulder.

“Mister Bellamy....”

“It’s Matthew.”

“Matthew, is your partner abusing you?”

“It’s my fault, I never listen properly and then I get it wrong.”

“No, Matthew, it’s not your fault. He should not be doing this...how long has he being hitting you?”

“No, he’ll get in trouble. I can’t do that to him...painkillers right, no heavy exercise....thanks,” he said and was gone before Dom could say anything.

But what could he have done, Matthew was an adult, so he couldn’t stop him from leaving. All he could do was put a note in his records, so that if he attended A&E again, which Dom had no doubt he would, another doctor might be able to persuade Matthew to seek help.

It was several weeks later that he came across Matthew again, but this time his partner was with him, and another doctor treated him. He only had a brief glimpse of the couple, but he could tell by Matthew’s body language that he was unhappy. He managed to sneak a look at his records...a fractured wrist this time, but again nothing happened.

***********************

His next stint of nights was a part of the mobile medical team, and he rode along with one of the paramedics. They were very nearly at the end of the shift when they got a call from the police to attend a domestic.

As they pulled up they saw two officers manhandling a man, who appeared to be shouting. As they gathered their gear, they could hear him shouting.

" I love you..please....Matthew!"

It couldn't be?

They entered the house and his fear was confirmed, Matthew was being comforted by a female officer; his face was a mess.

“ Call an ambulance, he’s going straight to A&E,” he said to the paramedic.

>p>“No, he didn’t mean it,” Matthew said.

Dom knelt down in front of him and said gently, “Matthew, you know that’s not true. We’re taking you to hospital, he could have fractured or broken something. He’ll be locked up for...”

He looked at the officer, who said.

“It’s up to Matthew..do you want to press charges?”

Matthew looked past Dom towards the door that Richard had been dragged out of, then nodded.

“Then it’s twenty-four hours. I’ll go with him in the ambulance, then we can get a statement as soon as possible.”

He never saw Matthew after that, he could only hope that he would be okay.

*********************

Three months had gone by and he’d heard via a friend that Matthew had moved into a male shelter after leaving hospital and that his partner had been charged with GBH and worse than that, rape, and had been found guilty and had received a prison sentence.

He guessed he would never see Matthew again, but he hoped that he would find happiness. He would have liked to have gotten to know him and show him that men like Richard were the exception and not the rule.

He was getting near the end of another busy Friday night, when he got a page to come to reception.

“Does someone want to see me?” he asked.

“That would be me,” a voice said.

He turned and there was Matthew...he was still as stunning.

“I just wanted to say thank you.”

Dom smiled, “My shift finishes in an hour. Would you like to get some breakfast?”

“I’d like that,” Matthew said and suddenly leant forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for making me see sense,” he whispered before disappearing into the waiting area.

Dom touched his cheek and after that the Friday night shift never felt as stressful, because he knew he had someone with cheekbones that models would pay to have and eyes a shade of blue he’d never seen before waiting for him at home.


End file.
